Trapped in Tortall
by Zimba the Evil Quail
Summary: You've seen them before, some girls get stuck in Tortall blah blah blah, I'm not even going to try to write a summery. Though there are some interesting twists.
1. Welcome to Tortall

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Authors Note: this is just another people get stuck in Tortall except not really. See each one of us, the Freaky Five (that's ballonfuzz, IceDragon26, SirAnna, acegrl101 and me Zimba the Evil Quail) is going to write a chapter from each persons point of view. It's really now as bad as it sounds, this chapter is crummy though because it just gives lots of background info, it'll get better though. So just read it and review okay, ~Thanx

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Disclaimer: I don't own nothing okay well except for the dust bunnies that live under my bed but no lawyer wants those, I think.

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Trapped in Tortall

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Chapter 1

By: Zimba the Evil Quail 

"They're perfectly capable of playing 'court games' actually they're quite good at them. They also prize money and power highly, but I don't think that they would go as far a Delia but they could get close. They've been raised in such closed minded families that they believe that most important part of life is to have money." Julianna nodded in agreement. Julianna and I had just completed 1st period, Study Hall, the topic of discussion had been the comparison of the girls in our private all girl school to the characters in Tortall, sadly most of them had the obvious traits of Delia of Eldorne. 

JJ (Julianna's nickname) and I finished putting our books in our locker and went to meet up with the rest of the our class in the Commons. Our class was going on a field trip to a Power Plant (groan). Julianna and I met up with the rest of our friends, Maggie, Lauren and Amelia. Together we were know as the Freaky Five. Our name was a copy of a group of girls in our class called the Foxy Five, their group consisted of Amy, Amanda, Alex, Ariel, and Maya.

The Foxy Five and the Freaky Five were complete opposites. The Foxy Five were all girls who loved to obsess over boys, make-up, and fashion. While we, the Freaky Five, spent most of our time reading. We even began a Fantasy Book Club at our school. One thing we both have in common is the liking of the internet for completely different reasons. We love the internet for FanFiction.net and FictionPress.net, while they enjoy AIM and staring at pictures of their favorite actors with their shirts off (boring).

There are some moments when both the Foxy and Freaky Five come together. The prime example of this is on Field Trips. Our class can fit on one large bus and one small bus; the year before we, the Freaky Five, had taken over the small bus and they (the MOB aka Most Obnoxious Beings aka preps and airheads aka most of the other people in our class) would triple-up on the large bus. This year our classes numbers had swelled, if only five people sat on the small bus they would have to quadruple up on the big bus and the teachers wouldn't stand for it, so some people of the MOB were sent to our bus. We would have to listen to them complain about how they couldn't sit with so and so. Luckily though they sat as far away from us as possible but they had extremely high-pitched voices that carried and made someone want to scream. So we the Freaky Five had forged an agreement with the Foxy Five. They would ride on the small bus so we didn't have to end up with the really, really annoying people and they each got their own seat and weren't over run by sweaty people ( the air conditioning usually broke) for the three hour ride.

The field trip to the Power Plant started as any other. Maggie led the pack of students and stood outside the small bus, which meant no one would go on it. When the rest of the Freaky Five arrived we took the seats in the back. Then the Foxy Five arrived taking the seats in the front. We were extremely lucky this particular field trip because many of the teachers had caught the flu so they decided that the small bus wouldn't have a teacher supervisor. It seemed that our regular bus driver had also come down with something, meaning we had an especially peculiar bus driver. He seemed way too old to be working or even alive. His face seemed to be a maze of wrinkles, and his nose was very prominent almost like the beak of a raven. He slouched so much that I wondered if he was even capable of seeing over the steering wheel. The oddest thing, was that he never said a word, not in the beginning to lay out the rules nor to tell us to shut-up because we were being to loud.

It was an extremely gloomy day, rain was pouring down in sheets and I could barely see the back lights of the bus in front of us. I must have dozed off because when I woke up we had left the city and were out in Nowheres Ville. I looked around, JJ was squinting at her book trying to make the words out in the gloom, Maggie was staring out the window in one of her thinking stupors, Amelia, also know as Imi was listing to her head phones and playing games on her cell, Lauren was sleeping. The Foxy Five were all listening to their head phones, I could hear the steady beat of the rap songs. They were mostly looking at different magazines. 

I peered out into the aisle way to see the bus in front of us. I saw it turn off the road, but instead of following it our bus driver kept going straight. Before I could ask the bus driver "What the hell was going on?" in a nice way, of course, I heard the thump as our road dead ended and we started bumping along on the grass. Then bang, we ran into a tree! 

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look around and see what was going on. I stood up and yelled at the bus driver, "What the hell is going on?" meant in the nicest sense of course. He just stood up calmly, bring himself to his full height which was about 4 inches shorter then me. Slowly he muttered some word in a language I was sure I had never heard before, and suddenly I felt as if I had just gone down a hill on a giant roller coaster. Then dusted off his clothes which I had not seen before, he was dressed in a type of robe. Then he looked at me as if he just heard what I said. His response was "That would take all the fun out of it, now wouldn't it dearie." 

Then, right in front of my eyes, he morphed into a raven and literally flew through the roof, though, there was no hole. At that moment I knew something was wrong and it had not been a trick of light. I was stranded with the Foxy Five and my friends in the middle of nowhere in a rain storm. I was also very cold, our uniforms consisted of a short skirt, knee highs, Doc Martins, a white blouse and a navy-blue sweater if you were lucky enough to bring one, I wasn't. I decide things couldn't get much worse then this, but I was very wrong. 

No one had spoken since the bus driver had disappeared. We were all too shocked. I sat down trying to make sense of what had just happened when I heard metal ripping metal. I looked out the fogged glass of the window trying to see what had made the eerie sound. I felt rain on my head, I looked up with dread and apprehension on my face, looking down at me was a thing with the body almost like metal spider but with a human torso and head. It had ripped a hole in the roof of the bus and was now peering down at me. It smiled, it's teeth sharpened metal, it's breath smelt distinctly of carnage and dried blood. I heard the people around me screaming I heard myself screaming but it felt as if it wasn't really me but someone else. It reached down with a metal arm and brushed my cheek. That spurred me and the others into action. The Foxy Five, after the initial shock had headed straight for the bus door, that was closed. We, the Freaky Five, were all sitting stock still, knowing that we couldn't get out the way we had come in. I stared at the monster. My body was perfectly still except for my left arm frantically reaching towards my backpack that had slid in to the aisle. My arm brushed against the emergency exit door handle. I noticed Imi, who was sitting in the seat adjacent to me, see my hand try to open the emergency exit, but it had a special security leaver which I couldn't undo with one hand. Imi scooted to the edge of her seat, and poised herself to open the emergency door then, with lightning speed, she undid the latch and kicked the door open. 

The monster jerked his head up as the door clanked against the outside of the bus. I took that moment to slither out from it's metal legs and make a mad dash, but in my haste I tripped over my backpack. I had thrown myself headlong, so I flew about 2 feet before landing face-flat in the mud with the backpack straps tangle around my ankles. I heard a splash as a person landed in the mud next to me and dashed off, 2 splashes later I felt some one lift me up help me untangle the backpack from my legs and dash off I looked up to thank them and saw the receding form of Lauren. 

With that I ran as fast was humanly possible. I followed a path that had been made by the people in front of me. I soon pulled up behind the dashing group, as it was harder for them to run through untamed forest. Imi and Amy were leading the group. They were probably the fastest runners at long distance, but I could tell even they were getting winded. Julianna began to drop behind because of asthma, then Maggie, and I knew I was going to fall behind. I could run short distances fast, but tired quickly. Finally I couldn't keep going so I stopped exhausted. Slowly I got my breathing under control but the rest of the group had long disappeared. I began to backtrack in search of Maggie and Julianna. Sure enough when I reached a small clearing their was Maggie, Julianna, Alex and Maya.

I slowly approached them to look over the shoulder of Julianna and there on a stump was a gooey, glowing substances almost like a spider web. Julianna and I looked at each other recognition dawned on our faces at the same instant, we both knew all to well that we were being chased by spidrens, and the only place spidrens existed was Tortall.

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A/N: Just Review, okay, good! 


	2. Stormwing Fun

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Authors Note: This is NOT written by Zimba. This is written by Icedragon26, her friend. And I am sorry it is late. Really. **coughs** Oh, and IceDragn26 own U'klim and that's it!) 

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Stormwing Fun

Chapter 2

By: IceDragon26

Lauren ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She was a fast runner, but the rain and tree branches around her seriously made her slow. Besides, she had stopped to help Emma off the ground anyway. Lauren burst in to a clearing, her breathing labored. Imi, Amanda, Amy, and Ariel were all sitting huddled near the trees. The damp air was filled with everyone's gasping and the heavy raindrops dropping from the leaves around them.

Imi immediately got up, something sticky wrapped around her arm. A spider web.

"Lauren." She whispered, voice filled with dread. "What kind of creature makes this stuff?" 

Lauren looked it over, and then gulped feverishly. "Spindrens." She answered warily, then smacked herself, realizing those were in a made up world. "I mean, spiders."

Imi shook her head. Their eyes locked a minute, fear making their hearts beat out of their chest. They _were_ in Tortall. Lauren groaned. This was so farfetched. It _was_ a spidren.

Lauren sniffed the air, a dreadful scent filling her nose. She wheezed and her whole body shuddered. Imi and the other girls shook as well. A shadow passed over them, making Lauren look up in the rain. A figure, half bird, half man flew over them. He had steely feathers and a grin full of malice. His skin was dark and he had black hair and steely green eyes. He looked as if he was around seventeen. 

Lauren gasped. A stormwing. But didn't they only come for deaths? What if the others were- Lauren shook off her thoughts and called up to the stormwing. Imi looked at her like she was crazy. In fact, she must have been.

The stormwing circled downward and land in the clearing. The three of the Foxy Five squealed and huddled more together. Imi looked like she was about to hurl. Lauren gulped down that sensation.

"Hello." She managed to say. "I'm Lauren and this is Imi."

Imi nodded to the creature, looking sick. The stormwing sneered at them.

"What do y'all want?" he growled. "I got no time hangin' round here. Death be soon a comin'."

"Death?" asked one of the Foxy Five. The stormwing flashed a smile in their direction and turned back to Imi and Lauren.

"Yeah." He answered. "Name's U'klim, by the way. Just passin' by when I heard those wretched Spindrens a passin'. Nasty folks they are." U'klim trailed off then suddenly took off in flight. "Sorry ta leave so soon, girlies. But that spindren's a comin this way and I'm in no folly to mess with it. I just was a wantin' lunch."

Lauren gasped as the spindren came barreling through the bushes. The spindren looked around, eyes gleaming with hate and hunger. Amy, Amanda, and Ariel both tried to scramble to their feet, but their legs were barred together by the spindren's sticky web. It approached them carefully. Imi, thinking clearly, hurled a huge rock at the creature. It turned around, clicking its pincers together. Lauren picked up a big stick in the brush and ran out to meet the spindren angrily. It scuttled foreword and swung its foreleg across Lauren's side. Lauren flew across the clearing, bleeding heavily, and became unconscious, hitting a tree. 

"Lauren!" Imi screamed. She started to panic as the spindren came closer. Imi turned to flee but her legs were glooed together by more of that cursed web. Imi hit the ground hard, and lost everything after that.

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Lauren was awoken by the most horrifying, awful stench she had ever smelled. Lauren opened her eyes warily and found that wretched stormwing U'klim above her, looking down in to her face. Lauren, being afraid of being eaten by the stormwing muttered that she was alive. As she tried to talk, blood oozed from her stomach. Lauren cried out in pain.

"Hush!" U'klim said, annoyed. "I'm a tryin' to help ya, love!" 

It was true. Next to U'klim was a bunch of bloodied up towels. U'klim gingerly dabbed some of the blood. "Sorry, love." He muttered. "But you ain't livin' for much longer."

Lauren moaned. "Why are you helping me?" she wheezed. 

U'klim smiled sadly. "I can't eat no humans. I was one once. Used a stormwing feather ta get out of danger, and was this way ever since. Now I'm forever searchin' for some type of a magickin' to get me back."

Lauren gasped as a sharp pain swept through her body. "It hurts." She said, now crying. Suddenly she was reminded of the spindren and shot straight up, scared to death for her friends. 

"The spindr-" she got out, but a pain in her arm stopped her. One of U'klim's feathers, half off his body, was stuck in her arm. 

Lauren stared at it. U'klim did as well. The world abruptly shone with a bright light and then it ended.

Lauren had turned in to a stormwing.

Her wound on her stomach was instantly healed. She now had half her normal body and half of a steely feathered bird. She wore only a small strip of white cloth around her torso, the remains of her shirt. 

Lauren screamed and hobbled around on her new bird legs. U'klim gaped at her, looking as though he was about to laugh, in which he did.

Lauren shot a deadly glare at him. "What did you do to me?" she said, anger making her voice quiver.

U'klim laughed, his green eyes dancing. "You're like me!" he chuckled. "Cut yourself with this feather and you be a findin' that you be one like me!"

Lauren groaned and hopped around on her new legs, not used to this. And definitely NOT expecting this. U'klim eyes her with interest.

"You should come a searchin' for that magic with me, love. We'll be humans again." 

Lauren shook her head, brown hair falling over her face. "I have to find my friends."

"NO!" U'klim said loudly. "You're friends are human and they won't be a wantin' you. Not with that stench of yours."

Lauren sighed miserably. He was right. She guessed she did stink. She didn't really notice it. She didn't even think U'klim stunk anymore. 

"It's okay." U'klim said gently. "You're with me an' we're goin' after some way to cure of of this, right?"

Lauren looked in to his eyes and sighed regretfully. "I guess so." Lauren suddenly felt enlightened. "Will we meet a dragon?" 

U'klim chuckled. "Sure, if you were a wantin' to."

Lauren nodded vigorously. She had always dreamed of meeting a dragon. U'klim smiled. He suddenly looked handsome through Lauren's stormwing eyes.

"Now, before all this starts, we got to be a teachin' ya to fly." 

Lauren laughed, forgetting the woes of her friends and everything else. She was going to fly, see a dragon, and see Tortall. Amazing.

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Two days later, Lauren soared through the air with U'klim next to her. She was worried about her friends. After she had learned to fly, the two stormwings had been searching for them. They hadn't found one of the nine girls still there. Puzzled, Lauren sighed and landed on a thick branch of a tree. U'klim settled next to her.

"Sorry for holding you up like this. I'm just worried about them." Lauren confessed and found herself preening her metal feathers. Sickened, she stopped right away.

U'klim shrugged. "It's okay. I was just wantin' company."

Lauren grinned at him and looked down to the forest floor below her. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to go and start looking for a way to get herself in a human body again. She dreadfully missed walking rather than flying. She was afraid of heights.

U'klim noticed Lauren's distress and gently hugged her around the shoulders. 

"We'll find them, love, and you're old body. Just you be a watchin' me."

Lauren snuggled closer to him. U'klim had been extremely friendly with her the past days and she enjoyed his company. U'klim, surprised by the affection, didn't object. 

"But now, love, we must be getting' off to see that dragon I promised ya."

Lauren yipped in glee, startling U'klim away from her a bit. Lauren giggled as he ruffled his metal feathers. 

"Why do you call me love?" she asked curiously. U'klim looked at her strangely. It was a strange question that came out of nowhere. 

"One can only hope." U'klim said in a manly fashion.

Lauren didn't comprehend it. "U'klim, why am I still alive? Didn't that spindren almost finish me off?"

"I dragged ya away from him, love." U'klim answered. "Seems I'm your knight in shinin' armor, huh?"

Lauren giggled. "You're not a knight, but you do shine."

U'klim sighed, annoyed. "And on that note, let's be getting' off to see that mass of fire breathin' scum."

U'klim took off in to a shining blur against the sun. Lauren sat for a minute and thought

__

One can only hope? I get it! Hey! That scoundrel! 

Lauren, blazing with embarrassment, came after her stormwing friend. 

"U'klim!" she screeched. "You're a naughty man, get back here!"


	3. Squires, Mages, and Crushes

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Authors Note: Neither Zimba nor IceDragon26 wrote this. It was written by   
SirAnna.

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Disclaimer: SirAnna doesn't own anything, ect. ect. (she also forgot to put in a disclaimer and Zimba was nice enough to do it for her)  


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Squires, Mages, and Crushes

Chapter 3

By: SirAnna

I woke up drenched in sweat. My chest was heaving, my ears were pounding, but mostly, my stomach was growling. I had just woken up from a horrible nightmare, yet now all I remember of it is pink, frolicking bunnies. At that moment I realized I had woken up into a real nightmare. The sun had barely risen, I estimated six or seven a.m. I sat on a large rock and deciphered the past events for my extremely confused brain.  
  
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After we had escaped the spidren it was time for an explanation. I sat the hyperventilating Maya and Amanda down on a log, ignoring their complaints of mud on their designer shoes. Soon Maggie and Emma joined us. I had already explained coolly (ok so I yelled) that we were trapped in a land filled with dragons, griffins, spidrens, strormwings, or in other words Tortall. I was about to slap the two present members of the Foxy Five for their ignorance when Maggie stopped me. While Maggie explained the facts Emma and I wandered into the forest. I collected firewood while Emma collected   
flat rocks, feathers, and sticks. When we returned Emma sat in a corner and began widdle to a bow and some arrows (she's good with her hands). I laid the firewood (or twigs to start out with) in the needed manner for burning. Luckily I had stolen my sister's   
cigarettes and lighter that morning (I think it's a foul habit and steel them to keep her from smoking). As I worked on the tiny fire, Maggie tended to the extremely confused 2/5 of the Foxy Five. When I finally got tired of hearing restated explanations I asked Maggie   
to tend to the fire and departed to collect litter for bedding. When I returned Amanda and Maya were asleep, and the rest of us all decided a good night's sleep was the thing we needed most.  
  
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Finally the rumbling of my tummy brought me out of my reflections. I got up and tiptoed over to Emma's "bed." I quietly picked up the bow and some arrows (not that badly widdled I might add) and decided with my new archery lessons I had the knowledge to hit, oh probably, a rock, but I had to try for food.  
  
I ended up getting a bird (kind unknown to my small brain) and also snatched her eggs. I had to set the bird aside for later as I didn't know how to properly prepare it. I ended up making a fire and cooking eggs for breakfast, with the wafting smells waking   
everyone up.

  
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It was mid autumn and fairly cold, so we kept the fire going as it was our only source of heat. We also started making shelters using large sticks leaned up against a tree and then covered with litter. This trick was taught to us at school during one of our many field trips to Cynthia's Woods. I don't suppose they ever thought we would need to use the knowledge in this kind of situation.  
  
While we were making our shelters we were entertained by the most interesting conversation between Maya and Amanda. One of the most fascinating *snicker, snicker* thing Amanda said was, "Did you see me last night? I had to wear my glasses. I looked way too smart, it wasn't even funny." The odd thing is that in fifth grade   
Amanda and I shared the Continental Math Award for our grade. Strange how people change.  
  
It was around noon when we heard hoof beats. Maya and Amanda huddled together in their shelter, while Emma, Maggie, and I stopped and didn't make a move. Finally a large horse broke into the clearing. After a few seconds of quiet contemplation Emma yelled, "Lord Raoul of Goldenlake?!"  
  
"Yes," Raoul replied.  
  
"The commander of the King's Own!" I chimed.  
  
"Yes," he replied, again. "We saw your fire and wondered who would be out in the weather this time of year when rain is so unpredictable. Even raiders would find shelter.  
  
Emma and I blushed at his last comment. More people broke into the clearing, and one of them (my mouth went dry) was Keladry of Mindalin, my hero.  
  
"Kel!" I tried to say, but only a scratchy awe-filled whisper came out.  
  
"Excuse me," said Kel.  
  
"You're Keladry of Mindalin!" I stammered.  
  
"Yes, I realize that," she replied, a little sarcastically.  
  
"You killed Blayce!" I said. I knew I had said too much.  
  
"Who? I haven't killed anyone."  
  
"Never mind."  
  
Emma didn't notice Kel, though. She noticed Dom. She blushed scarlet as he rode into the clearing. Emma didn't say anything, but Dom saw her. He got off his horse and walked casually over to her.  
  
"Hello," said Dom. Emma's blush became a deeper red. Then, all of the sudden, Emma was pushed away from Dom by Maya and Amanda.  
  
"Hello. You won't like her she's, well she's Emma," Amanda said.  
  
But Dom ignored them and helped Emma to her feet. This wonderful moment was destroyed by the sound of Maggie's laughter. Emma glared at her.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Raoul.  
  
"It's a long story," Maggie replied.  
  
"We've got time," said Raoul, jumping off his horse to sit on a log. The rest followed suit.  
  
"Ok," and thus Maggie began our strange adventure to Tortall.  
  
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When Maggie finished the King's Own stayed silent. Except for Dom who continued to flirt with Emma, but being Emma she refused to respond to his advances. The members of the Foxy Five scowled because an (and I quote) "ugly bitch" got the hot guy's attention.  
  
Then Raoul commented, "This is all very odd. An alternate universe where we're all characters in books. Seems unlikely, but your clothes are strange, and you do seem sure, and we have seen the yellow monster you call a bus. I guess it could be true. It seems you need Numair. He can help you get back, if what you say is true."  
  
"First we have to find our friends."  
  
"Of course," said Raoul. And thus the day went as follows:  
  
Maggie stayed with Raoul all afternoon. They talked and gathered supplies for us. The things they discussed included poetry (humorous poetry, of course), forms of entertainment (Maggie was appalled they could live without Anime), and who the strange man was that brought us here and why.  
  
Dom taught Emma the basics of using a bow and arrow (now she can hit a rock, too), but he was flirting more than teaching. He would wrap his arms around her to help her hold the bow correctly. Unlike most girls Emma didn't hold back with her skills. She   
quickly traveled from "I don't know what the Hell I'm doing" to "so that's how you hold it." Dom's praise was over done though, and I think it included hints like, "If you stay in Tortall you will become better than most people." I think that was a little true yet over exaggerated. Emma may refuse now, but she enjoyed her time with Dom. The members of the Foxy Five sat scowling at Emma, until Maggie recruited them to collect more firewood.  
  
I stayed with Kel. She taught me the basics of using a sword (that means I could wield it without hurting myself more than my opponent). At this time Kel was around my age, fourteen. She was much taller though, and I felt like I was in the presence of one of   
the most famed people in Tortall. Then I mentally kicked myself, no wonder I felt that way, she soon will be one of the most famed people in Tortall. Kel also showed me ways to help me progress with my sword work. Soon Kel was whisked away by Cleon, who was traveling with the King's Own for a bit. I laughed as Cleon proceeded with his usual pet names to Kel.  
  
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The afternoon flew by, and before we knew it darkness started to fall. The King's Own decided to stay for the night, and two men went out to find food. Emma, Dom, and I decided to join them. Well, actually Emma and I decided to join them, and Dom couldn't   
leave Emma. I ended up returning to camp when they said they were hunting deer. I love deer and couldn't see one get killed. Emma and Dom returned with me.  
  
We had veal that night, but the men were nice enough to ready it outside of camp. I have to admit, it was delicious. Then we readied our beds. Emma, Maggie, Maya, Amanda, and I slept in our shelters, while the King's Own had rolls to use. The members of the Freaky Five had a comfortable, warm night, while the Foxy Five built their shelters facing the west, letting the freezing wind into their shelters. I tried to tell them earlier *wink, wink*.  
  
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When we woke up in the morning the King's Own had left, but they left behind a few gifts. Dom had left Emma a bow and a quiver of arrows. Etched into the bow was "For Emma, Love, Dom." I found a very simple sword with a note. "Dear Julianna, I left you this sword to keep practicing with. –Kel." There was also a horse with a   
pack on its back. In the pack we found an abundance of supplies and a note. "Dear Maggie, I'm giving you this horse for your journey. Numair is currently visiting Alanna at Pirate's Swoop. I drew you a map. –Raoul." The map was very helpful. It included landmarks like mountains, rivers, forests, and showed us what the best paths were   
as well as lines marking the easiest route and the fastest route. We decided to start out tomorrow morning using the easiest route. For the rest of the day we gathered extra firewood, acorn tops (for whistles to contact each other in case we got lost), and we also   
made sure every canteen the King's Own left us was filled.  
  
After that was finished the Foxy Five sat and talked for hours, Emma practiced with her bow and arrows, I practiced with my sword, and Maggie was rechecking the supplies.  
  
Looking back on this event I realize that Amanda and Maya didn't really like Dom, they just hated the fact that a handsome man chose an "ugly bitch" over them. I also realize that Maggie was out of character. She's usually impatient and sloppy, but then she was extremely patient (with Amanda and Maya's ignorance) and organized. I guess crisis really does bring out the true person.  
  



	4. Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: Don't own nothing, blah blah blah

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P.S. Amelia, the one who wrote this chapter has a slight tendency towards romance.

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Chapter 4

By: acegrl101

Amy, Ariel, and Lexie looked on in fright as Lauren was knocked over the head. Amy and Ariel were screaming really, really, really, really loud. I think the spidren even went deaf. Lexie was revolted by the smell of U'Klim, and hurled into the spidrens face, temporarily blinding it. In desperation, I groped behind me. At last, I felt my hand come in contact with an extremely large stick. To my luck, the stick was knotted on the end, making a club. With all my strength, I brought the stick up, and let it come crashing down on the spidrens skull. I got up(hobbling, for my legs were still bound with the spidrens icky net) and let the club come crashing down again. This time I heard a sickening crunch as the club came in contact with bone. Not wanting to take any chances, I drew the dagger that I always kept on me, no matter what, unless I was in an airport, but I didn't think I'd ever see another airport. Well, with the dagger, I split the spidren from, I guess I could say from its neck down its belly. There then was a horrible goo coming from the spidren, and, not wanting to have to deal with any more sickness from the remainders of the foxy five, I dragged the three girls into the forest with me

. 

"You're going to have to shape up and listen to me," I said to them sternly, "if, you want to live." I ended with a threat. They didn't listen, they were worrying about their makeup. Time for drastic measures. I grabbed the bags that hung over their shoulders, thus taking away their makeup. They all yelled at me. "if you want you're makeup back, you're going to do exactly as I say. Understand." I had finally gotten their attention, and their makeup. With this, they would be my slaves. (muhahaha, laughs evily) 

From this point on, we usually were able to work together. At home, I had lived in the woods, and I had thought I knew what to do. I was totally wrong. I could build a shelter, kind of. I could make beds, hard ones, made out of stones for the foxy five, and sticks and leaves for me. I actually could make a fire and cook. But I didn't know what to cook with. At any moment, I was waiting for one of the foxy five to pull out a book titled, How to Live in the Wilderness of Tortall, but it didn't happen. First because, I didn't even know if they COULD read, and second because it was highly unlikely that they would even know how to open a book. There were times when the girls got so loud that I thought the world was coming to an end. One particular day, when the girls were wailing over how their designer jeans were being torn, I heard hoof beats. They were faint, and it could have been mistaken as thunder, so I put my ear to the ground. They weren't thunder, and it sounded like they were coming towards us. I tried to talk to Ariel, but she was hysterical with grief for her pants, then I tried Lexie, but she had broke a nail. Then, I tried Amy. She actually listened to me, but it was too late. We couldn't even climb halfway up the ledge that was behind us. Lexie and Ariel huddled behind a tree stump, and Amy stood behind me. There was a fire at my feet, so , I grabbed one of the sticks, in vain. As soon as I started to wave it above my head, it was shot out of my hand. I looked at the feathers of the arrow. Griffin. I was utterly terrified now. Soon one would come and it would be true. It would hit my heart. I was already feeling the cold grip of death. Then I was swooped up onto a horse as I heard the twange of another bow. The person now holding me was strong, and warm. I looked back, and saw the most handsome man I had ever seen. I looked to Ariel and Lexie and Amy, they too were with riders. Then I looked ahead. This wasn't right! The raiders were in front of us. The horse that belonged to the gentleman that held me was hamstringed, and we were both on the ground. He looked me up and down, almost assessing me. This is not the time to look me over I thought. Then he threw me a sword. I hesitated, but caught it. 

"Can you use a sword?" he asked me. His voice was actually pretty nice. 

"Uh, not really, no." I stammered

"That's good enough. There's nothing to it. You just poke the enemy, and not let yourself get poked." He told me.

"got it" I replied. Then I headed to the raiders. On the way though, I got sidetracked. I ran into Lexie, on "accident".

"the other enemy," the man said when he came towards me.

"right-o chum" I said, thinking this was all jolly. Then the first raider came at me. I hate to say this now, but I screamed. He brought a sword down, and I , not being used to a heavy sword, only the light foils used on my fencing team at home, attempted to parry. It worked, kind-of. I then started going through the exercises that had been taught me, but doing so rather clumsily. I actually managed to wound my attacker, but then the man came up from behind and got him for me. That was the last of the bandits. I suddenly felt a pain in my side, and looked down to see blood. After that, my vision blurred. All I remember is falling backwards. 

When I awoke, and looked around, I saw Ariel lying down with a wrapped up arm. Laying beside her was Lexie, with a wrapped up head, and Amy, with a wrapped up foot. Suddenly there was a shadow over me. I looked up to see the handsome man. I blushed as he smiled at me. He knelt down beside me and formally introduced himself as Evan. Just plain Evan. Just plain Evan, second in command of the Queens riders Evan. He was gorgeous up close. He had blond hair, that fell into his eyes. His color was a light brown, from spending a lot of time riding out in the sun. His eyes were a blue-gray, that twinkled mischievously. His teeth were pearly, and his grin was devilish. I was enchanted. And, if I do say so myself, he was enchanted with me. Then I looked down at myself, a REALLY dirty shirt and torn blue jeans. My shoes had disappeared a while back. I blushed as his eyes were still on my face. I looked at him and he smiled that smile that I'm sure makes every girl that looks at him melt. Wait, I cant be thinking this I thought. I have a career in front of me. The Olympics. I couldn't go to the Olympics if I was drooling over a guy. But wait. They didn't have the Olympics here. Three cheers for my ingenuity! Oh well. 

"Are you ok?" he asked, his voice was a rich, deep voice, but not too deep. Just right. Kind, yet commanding. Shut UP. I had to keep telling my self this. I was getting carried away. This wasn't allowed to happen. Then someone shouted. His head came up and he looked at me. "I'll be right back." He said, and he headed off. I sat with my thoughts. No, my daydreams. This was the guy that I had always wanted to meet. Maybe he wasn't mentioned in books, but his spirit existed in them. He was at every battle, urging the brave men on. He was in every medical tent, telling the men that they would be okay. He was at every home, with mourning wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, lovers…

"Excuse me." It was a rich feminine voice. I looked up and my jaw dropped. It was Buri! I was face to face with my hero! I was about to start to hyperventilate when she continued to speak. "I see you've fallen in love with my second in command." My jaw dropped even more.

"Your second in command?" I asked. "and his name would be?" 

she looked at her second in command proudly. 

"He is Evan, Evan of Hollist Lake." She looked rather pleased again.

"Wait, shouldn't he be at the Palace then, being a squire?" I asked tentatively. Buri looked at me and then totally remembered her manners, realizing she hadn't done any introductions.

"Oh, by the way…" she began.

"you're Buri, protector of Queen Thayet, Commander of the her Riders." I finished for her. Now it was her turn for her jaw to drop. 

"How in the Lady's name did you know that?" she asked.

"I have my sources, and it's a looong story." I answered. She looked at me. "ok, ill tell" So I sat there as night fell, telling my hero about how I came to be in Tortall and how I desperately needed to find my friends, but I didn't get to say anything else because at that moment, Evan came over with food in his hands. 

He handed me a wooden plate and a wooden spork like thing. The food consisted of some kind of jerky, and a rice like veggie. I ate it slowly, savoring it, for it was the first real food I had had in days. When I was finished, Buri got up and made her leave, walking over to where Lexie, Amanda and Ariel were laying down on the ground. Evan was still sitting beside me and we started talking about our childhoods. Evan had grown up on the shores of Hollist Lake, with his five brothers and two sisters. I told him about living where I did and about my animals and such. We talked long into the night, and when the fire started to die, Evan went up and got more wood, when he came back, I was asleep. 

The next day came bright and early, and I really didn't want to get up, but I saw Evan. I started to shun that part of my mind. Swooning over a guy wasn't going to help me or my friends. 

Evan brought a horse over to me and asked if I could ride. This I could do, but I had never done it with a split open leg. After having difficulties trying to get into the saddle, I finally relented to riding in front of someone. That someone was Evan (figures right?). Anyway, his big white stallion was certainly capable of holding both of us, and we started to move out with the rest of the riders. All that day was filled with joking and laughing and I barely saw the remains of the Foxy Five. The went quickly, and that night I met with Buri, to try and figure out what the game plan might be. Knowing my friends, they would probably head to Pirates Swoop, and I knew they would get there because trusty, dusty Emma always carried one of the books around with her, and the books have maps. Buri did give me some more comfortable cloths to wear and I thanked her profusely, because holed jeans and no shoes wasn't too pleasant. Buri decided to send half of her riders with Lexie, Ariel, Amy, and I, to the palace in Corus, and from there we would go to Pirates Swoop. 

The next day came again, and we headed off in pursuit of my friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You know the drill


	5. The Irritating but Neccessary Step Walki...

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I owned anything, would I be writing this? Wait, does this count as anything? Because it's mine, and you can't have it!

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The Irritating, But Necessary Step (Walking)

Chapter 5

By: Balloonfuzz

I woke up when the sun shone in my eyes. I silently cursed the sun and its shining powers before getting myself up. I stood up and looked around before realizing that I didn't have anything to do. Looking around, I saw everyone else snoring contentedly from within their bedrolls. I stumbled over to the horse's pack and pulled myself out some bread and cheese. I had to snicker at my choice of breakfast. I didn't even know what kind of cheese it was.

While munching I looked around at the sleeping forms. I noticed that Emma had her backpack, hoping it would hold something I could do I raided it. I found her CD player, her school book, and the first two books in the Alanna Series. I was a tad bit exasperated that she brought them everywhere, but, nevertheless, I pulled out Alanna: The First Adventure, picked a random page, and began to read.

While I read, Emma rolled out of bed and remembered to grab a bite of breakfast before setting up a target and practicing more archery. Julianna woke a short while later to her growling stomach. She dug through the pack looking for something that might resemble her normal breakfast, a bagel. But, alas, all she found was bread, which she grumbled at. Maya and Amanda continued to snooze comfortably in their bed rolls, in contrast to the night before when they had slept restlessly on the cold, hard ground.

Once Julianna ate her bread; she saw what I was doing and came to read over my shoulder. We were both laughing at George's reaction to finding Alan was a girl, when Emma came over to investigate our goings on. She began to read over my shoulder with Julianna, when my claustrophobia kicked in. So I offered to read aloud. Maya and Amanda were slowly aroused by my voice and the occasional

snickers of my colleagues.

Amanda sat up and looked about dazedly, while Maya tried to open her eyes. When they had woken themselves, they both looked a little disgusted that we could read for fun. When Emma got sufficiently irritated at their confusion, ignorance, and stares, she had to snap. "Think about it. You're in a land you'd never even heard about until a couple of days ago. Whereas we've been preparing for the journey every time we've read one of these books. Who do you think is better off as of right now?"

Maya opened her mouth to give some smart-mouthed reply, but was interrupted by Julianna's entertained response of "We're so stupid" she broke into her own distinct laughter that scrunches up her face, turns it red, and keeps her from breathing. She must have thought that whatever she had to say was very important to be laughing while Emma was so frustrated.

"Of course they don't know anything about Tortall, but we weren't helping with our repeated nonsensical explanations. Why can't we read to them from the books we have? That's probably more knowledge than we could give them in a thousand explanations, even if the books we have are a little out of date."

So that became our plan. Emma offered to read to Maya and Amanda while we walked (She knew I couldn't read aloud while walking on uneven ground. Just walking, I trip, on everything, including nothing). Julianna and I would keepan eye out for immortals behind and in front of our group.

After that, it took us a little motivation to get moving, we actually got started because we had to chase after the horse. It must have decided we were too slow in getting to the Swoop and left without us. But, once we realized it was gone we had to do some quick packing and moving. Otherwise we might have lost our only food. But once we caught the horse, all we had to do was get into formation and set off.

I quickly got used to walking in the woods. I looked all around me and took in the beautiful sights and sounds, even the musty smell of forest. I had to think if there were squirrels in Tortall, but all I had to do was ask Emma and she assured me there were (quoting a few pages in Wolf Speaker where they appeared, and also giving page citations). You get so used to squirrels when you live in a Suburb, its weird not to see them as commonly in a forest. But, forest squirrels are probably better at hiding than suburb squirrels. All suburb squirrels have to be good at is not getting run over by a car.

I looked up and saw something glinting off beyond us on the path. It kept glinting in my eyes, so I kept watching it. Then as I waked closer to it, it turned into two something's. After a while, I decided that my job wasn't to watch shiny flying material, but to make sure the forest was clear of immortals.

The forest was pretty boring, and it didn't help that I kept tripping over the uneven ground. Rather quickly my good mood wore off. I decided to listen to Emma's voice instead. It kept me moving, and it was a nice way to keep myself just far enough away that I could spot trouble in a timely manner and close enough that I could warn them of it before it had already reached me. The only problem with this position was that it was just far enough away that I couldn't hear what she was saying. Doubtless to say, that method of entertainment wore off quickly.

I started to hum my little walking song to myself. I wondered if my humming would call unwanted travelers of the forest directly to us, but decided it wasn't any worse than Emma reading to Maya and Amanda, and we had to give them some background on Tortall. A light breeze was blowing directly in my face, but it wasn't a very cold breeze, so I didn't mind. Until one of the pockets of wind was filled with the rancid odor of decay, it almost made me want to hurl, but I was distracted from the smell when Emma stopped reading. I turned around and looked at her. 

She was looking beyond me down the path, an astounded look upon her face. "What is it?" I asked.

Her only reply was to point directly beyond me. When I turned around and saw two half people half metal birds. They were weaving down the path some ways away from us, looking for something along the path. Slowly, I began to comprehend what was going on. The glinting I had seen earlier had been stormwings, and if we all didn't hide quickly, they were going to find US! Emma motioned frantically for me to hide Maya, Amanda, and the horse in the forest while she found Julianna.

I flew back down the path and caught the horse by its bridle before entering the forest. I whispered to Maya and Amanda to find some bush to hide under. They rushed off and I wondered what I could do with the horse. I looked around desperately for some kind of thing a horse could hide behind, and felt astoundingly lucky when I saw a large bit of ivy that had covered over three trees. I walked the horse over and tied his reins to a low hanging branch. I silently thanked the riders for giving us a horse with plain tack, and a cool head.

Then I looked around for somewhere I could hide, but it seemed my luck had run out. All I could find was a bush next to the path. I sighed, and hid. Whenever I hide my heart goes pitta-pat. Whether for a game of hide and go seek, or for a life or death situation. And this situation was no different. I always get a little angry at myself for not being able to control my body when control would be most helpful. And that leads to insulting myself, which I did. _What is there to be afraid of? All stormwings do is befoul the results of warfare, and then there are usually more than two._ My entire situation was only helped by the intensifying overpowering stench of stormwings. 

I tried to keep myself calm by listening to their approach with my whole self. It sounded like they were talking, but it was hard to hear over the flapping of their enormous metallic wings. I could finally hear one of them speak, while they were flying directly adjacent to me along the path, and my heart was racing like a jack-rabbit. 

"U'klim, you are a very bad man."

It was a girl, and it sounded just like Lauren. Weird, I don't think even Lauren could have become a stormwing when we've only been in Tortall for a couple of days. I poked my head out from under the bush and watched the stormwings flying away. That one even had Lauren's hair! Do all girl stormwings sound like Lauren, and wear their longs brown hair in a pony tail, and Tammy never felt that that fact was important enough to inform her loyal readers?

I continued to ponder the Lauren-like storm wing until they were far enough away that I was sure it was safe to come out of cover. I crawled out of my hidey hole, untied the horse, and called for Maya and Amanda to come out, because I had no idea where they had hidden.

I led the horse to the path, and we walked back along it, in hopes of finding Emma and Julianna making and opposite trek. When we found each other we all seemed to have the same trail of thought._ Was that Lauren?_ But there was nothing we could do but gather up a dejected looking Maya and Amanda and continue on our way.

I was a little more wary to everything else in the forest that afternoon. Seeing any kind of stormwing, even one that appeared to be Lauren, put me a little on edge, and made me a little fearful that long life wasn't what was in store for our little band. But, while I walked, bit by bit, I calmed myself that wherever they were going was where death was, not here with us.

When the sun approached the horizon I had to keep my eyes out for a place to camp. As the sun was setting I came upon a nice little clearing we could stay in for the night. I stopped walking and made myself comfortable waiting for everyone else to catch up. I watched the sunset while listening to Emma's voice become louder and louder. Her words became a bit clearer every moment.

When they entered the clearing I took care of the horse, letting them rest for a minute. When I was finished, I looked for something good to eat. I decided to gnaw on some of the leftover venison the riders had left us. It was good, and eating it filled up my mind while watching the sunset through the trees.

Emma picked up her bow and arrow to practice, and Julianna tried the simple pattern dance Kel had taught her. Maya and Amanda sat and talked. I could never quite pin down what it was they were talking about, but they always seemed to have a lot to say.

When the sun had set I pulled myself up and recruited Maya and Amanda to collect firewood. I had to borrow the lighter from Julianna, but decided against using cigarettes as fire starters. Dried leaves would be just as successful, and they smell less like cigarettes. I spent maybe a full ten minutes trying to build a stick teepee I could light, before Julianna came over to start the fire with Maya and Amanda's firewood. She caught some logs on fire pretty quickly, and we had a nice warm roaring fire. Great lot of good taking camp crafts at camp did me. I couldn't even get a fire started with a lighter.

Emma continued to shoot round after round of archery, until she had no chance of hitting her makeshift target, much less seeing it. It will forever be a mystery to me how she never lost any arrows. (Almost reminds me of a certain sharp-shooting elf)

There all five of us were, sitting around the campfire. We looked pretty pitiful. Our uniforms were all the worse for their wear. I looked down at my long sleeve button down rolled twice, and saw how stained it was getting. Why couldn't the riders have given us some clean clothing? They were probably too shocked to see us all in the same strange outfit to offer us anything different. I guess uniforms of plaid short-skirts aren't very Tortallan.

Once everyone had gotten something from the horse-pack for dinner, Emma offered to finish off Alanna: The First Adventure before we turned in for the night. But, I was too tired to pay attention, so I stuffed my bread in my mouth and crawled into my bedroll.

I wondered what we must have seemed like to the Own. They'd seed our bus, and we didn't have any supplies, so they probably thought we were some kind of great sorcerers from a far off land. I have to wonder what they thought of me and Emma's braces. Every time we smiled must have put them a little on edge.

"He dozed off quickly. Alanna lay awake a little while longer, watching the dark towers of the Black City in the distance. If there were any more Ysandir about, she was too tired to care. She wished she had Jon's faith in Duke Roger, but knew she wasn't going to get it. Still, she could figure out the Duke of Conté later. As Jon said, there was morning and Lord Martin to face, and it was time at last to sleep."

I woke to the steady thudding of arrows against wood. Emma never seemed to get tired of honing her skills. I was glad I had slept through the sunrise, but wasn't sure waking up to archery practice was much better. I rolled over and squinted at the world around me. Maya and Amanda were digging through the horse-pack, Julianna was reading one of the books, and Emma was doing archery.

While I waited for Maya and Amanda to get their food, I let my eyes adjust. Once they had chosen their breakfasts, I got up and grabbed some pieces of bread. I then took to eating them in a daze. When Emma noticed I was awake, she came over and told me to get moving. I wasn't awake enough to argue, so I gathered my stuff, and set off, beginning the days walk.

I didn't walk very fast, just fast enough that I wouldn't get yelled at by Emma. I waited until I could hear Emma reading behind me before I quickened my pace. After a day of walking I was, like my clothes, a little worse for wear. It was little comfort that if I walked for entire days on a regular basis this would be easier, because it would also be easier if I never did this at all. Nevertheless, my legs and feet began to kill pretty early on in the day, unlike the day before when they had only begun to kill when they had stopped walking, and become less numb. I tried to distract myself by walking differently, but that didn't work very well.

When the sun was directly ahead I stopped and collapsed against a rock. I could wait for my lunch serving horse to arrive there. I tried to massage my aching legs and feet, to little avail. I sat there, and man, did my feet stink, regulation school socks were not thick enough for days of walking.

When Emma, Maya, Amanda, and the horse reached me, Maya and Amanda also collapsed. Emma dug through the pack and grabbed us all some bread. She passed it out and stated curtly, "If you want seconds, you can get them yourself," before plopping down onto the ground in a heap followed closely by Julianna.

Once we had all eaten our fill of bread, we set off for the afternoon. I spent my time racking my brain for info on the Swoop. I wondered what it would actually look like, who would be there, would they like us? I had so many questions. Late into the afternoon I caught a breeze of salty air. It made me thirsty so I took a swig from my canteen. I was a little confused though, salty air isn't usually in my description of the forest. But I soon remembered we must be near the sea.

I saw the end of the forest. There was a small hill in the distance that didn't have any trees on it. The hill was large enough that I couldn't see beyond it. I quickened my pace, for I was excited to see the sea. I had never seen it, and thought I would like it.

At the end of the forest I jogged up the hill filled with excitement for a journey nearly over, and anticipation for the sea. Reaching the peak of the hill, I was enraptured by the beautiful sunset on the far off sea. I could also see the Swoop, albeit far off. I squinted to see what flags were up, and thus who was there, but my poor eyesight failed to help me. All I could do was wait for everyone else to catch up.

I sat down and watched as the sun slowly dipped lower and lower into the sea. Listening I could hear Emma's voice. "She let out a whoop of sheer exuberance and kicked Moonlight into a gallop."˜C'mon, Coram!" she cried, galloping past him. "Let's go find an adventure!"


End file.
